French legislative election, 1945 (Dahomey and Togo)

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Elections to the French National Assembly were held in French Dahomey and French Togoland on 21 October 1945. The territory elected two seats to the Assembly via two electoral colleges. French missionary Francis Aupiais of the Popular Republican Movement was elected from the first college and Sourou-Migan Apithy in the second,[1] but Aupiais died before taking office.[2]

Background

Some residents of French Togoland opposed attempts to entrench French rule by allowing elections to the French National Assembly in what was a League of Nations mandate rather than a French colony. Petitions against French policy were sent to the United Nations by the Ewe, who sought to be reunited with their brethren in British Togoland.[3]

Campaign

Despite having left Dahomey seventeen years before the elections, Aupiais remained a popular figure in Dahomey, even amongst animists.[3] His former pupil Sourou-Migan Apithy benefitted from his association with Aupiais, although he had also become an important figure in his own right through his work on the Monnerville Commission,[3] which had reported on the future of the French colonies.

Results

Candidate Party Votes %
First College
Francis AupiaisMRP59954.9
Appert 42739.2
Others645.9
Invalid/blank votes13–
Total1,103100
Registered voters/turnout1,27986.2
Second College
Sourou-Migan Apithy 6,60176.4
Casimir d'Almeida 6437.5
Robert Sanvée 5486.3
Paulin Norward 1351.6
Others7108.2
Invalid/blank votes420–
Total9,057100
Registered voters/turnout11,59978.1
Source: Sternberger et al.

Aftermath

Following the elections, Senegalese MP Lamine Guèye attempted to persuade all the African MPs to form an African Bloc, which would be affiliated with the SFIO. Although the attempt failed, Apithy did sit with the SFIO.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Erster Halbband, p529 (German)
  2. ↑ Aupiais, Francis (1877-1945) Boston University School of Theology
  3. 1 2 3 Edward Mortimer (1969) France and the Africans 1944–1960: A political history, Faber, p66
  4. ↑ Mortimer, p72
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